PUTRAJAYA: Issues regarding citizenship of children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses is among the top agenda of newly-minted Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
During his maiden ministerial briefing, Saifuddin said he was briefed by the Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz on the matter.
"It will be in my top priorities that requires my deliberation and action in the ministry.
"We will scrutinise all aspects of it including the constitution, existing laws and also humanity," Saifuddin said.
Previously, the Court of Appeal (COA) has allowed the government's bid to overturn a landmark ruling which said that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses were entitled to Malaysian citizenship.
The decision was much to the dismay of Malaysian women impacted by the issue of their children's citizenship status because of their foreign spouses.
It was earlier reported that the Kuala Lumpur High Court had ruled that the government must confer citizenship to children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses.
Prior to the landmark High Court decision last year, overseas children born to Malaysian fathers were allowed to apply for Malaysian citizenship, but this did not apply to Malaysian mothers.
Earlier, Saifuddin clocked in for official duties at the ministry at 9.28am here today.
He was welcomed by ministry's secretary-general Datuk Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz and the Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.
